Secure Version of Windows Created for the U.S. Air Force

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Flash
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Secure Version of Windows Created for the U.S. Air Force

#1 Post by Flash »

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2 ... rsion.html
The NSA got together with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Center for Internet Security to decide what to lock down in the Air Force special edition.
But of course those specifications are Top Secret, so that no one else can possibly compete with Microsoft in developing a secure OS. Another no-bid contract worth billions.

kirk
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#2 Post by kirk »

Wow, that's bad. The USAF has to just take MS word that there's not a back door. I really doubt MS shared their source code. Hope it's not used for really top secret stuff.

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James C
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#3 Post by James C »

"Secure Windows" is an oxymoron.

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droope
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#4 Post by droope »

lol

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d4p
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#5 Post by d4p »


benali72
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Windows is a bad choice for US gov't, esp the military!

#6 Post by benali72 »

It's really scary that the USAF and various government agencies have decided upon Windows, rather than Secure Linux and other hardened forms of Linux.

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Wheres One
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#7 Post by Wheres One »

It truly is terrifying to know that the US government uses Windows in conjunction with important information. What was it, a while ago, that something like 11 terabytes of information was leaked?

Wheres One

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droope
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#8 Post by droope »

It truly is terrifying to know that the US government uses Windows in conjunction with important information. What was it, a while ago, that something like 11 terabytes of information was leaked?

Wheres One
But then again, american people are always terrified, so...









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dogle
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#9 Post by dogle »

Oxymoron, right. I've been missing out on this thread, but aficionados may while away an idle moment and perhaps raise a smile or three with the following gems from Vulture Towers:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/09/05 ... spymasters
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/20 ... oor_denial
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/05 ... ntegration
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/26 ... _standards

The one that breaks me heart is
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/05 ... s_type_23s
The poor 'ol Grey Funnel Line, lost its grog, losing its funnels and now facing the BSOD for real.

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prehistoric
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paranoid processing and beyond

#10 Post by prehistoric »

You might consider my suggestion on the 48-core thread about where this is all heading. The military has a long history of distrusting individual judgment, so suggestions about plugging that gaping hole would be a natural for them.

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mikeb
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#11 Post by mikeb »

Damn...how did they get hold of my windows install........ :evil:

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prehistoric
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EULA?

#12 Post by prehistoric »

I've been waiting for someone on this topic to bring up the subject which leaped into my mind when I read the title. Guess I'll have to do it myself.

What did the EULA look like for that secure Windows system? Didn't they have something to say about "life-critical applications"? What about disclaimers of liability for consequential damages from: shooting down airliners, mistaking cruise liners for cruise missiles, or starting a nuclear war?

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technosaurus
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#13 Post by technosaurus »

Any OS is secure with the right firewall (that may or may not defeat the intended purpose).
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Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].

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